Oh wow, the reviews just keep going up and up! Thank you all for the support ^^!
Let's take a different turn, here. Shall we?
To give you an idea, the DMC timeline is after DMC3. I will write it in a way that will allow the reader to not actually need to go play those games. However, Playing Devil May Cry 3 is something that I always recommend! It has, and will always be, my favorite game series of all time.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; nor do I own any other fandom that may appear in this fiction.
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Lightning Dragon's Roar
A Harry Potter Fanfiction
By Zero Rewind
© 2015
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Chapter 26: Demon Slaying 101
"No way." I said.
"Yes." Tristan nodded, smiling.
"I don't believe it for one second." I shook my head.
"That's your choice, but I'm telling you, that's what happened!"
"Oh, come on!" I said, exasperation seeping into my tone. "You can't possibly be telling me that Lilith—"
"Oh, yes." Tristan gave a strange grin. "She really liked me."
"I still don't understand how you beat her, anyway." I said, huffing in irritation. "I had to tap into an extreme power source to get rid of her."
I was sitting around with Tristan in my training chamber. It was a day before Daphne and I were supposed to head back to Hogwarts. The extended time that Dumbledore had given us would run out soon, and then I would go back to the Hogwarts life.
The boring Hogwarts life.
Did I really want to go back to that?
"Her Scorch was better than mine." Tristan said simply, giving me a quick glance. "I easily kept up with her in the beginning, but when we both switched to Level Two, I lost. I put up a pretty good fight, but I ended up losing, regardless."
He took a breath, before continuing. "She couldn't seduce me in any way due to the unique power signature of my flames. So, she just let me go… After a few days of fun."
So.. He lost?
"I see." I said noncommittally, before shrugging. "Not like it matters. She's gone, now."
"What makes you so sure of that?" Tristan challenged lightly, taking a sip of his soda.
I stared at the man for a moment, giving off an incredulous face.
"I dropped the accumulated lightning energy of the clouds over Azkaban Prison." I said after a while of staring at the man. "Who knows how long it's been raining there?"
"The clouds still haven't formed back." Sirius piped in as he was passing by the chamber, likely heading to my room to play some of his games.
"Yeah, thanks for the news flash!" I shouted over and heard the man laugh from my room. I turned back to Tristan.
"So, yeah." I nodded confidently. "I doubt she survived. I don't think anything could survive that."
"Well, think about this." Tristan handed me the newspaper, pointing at the front page. I took a quick look, and my eyes widened.
"Does that make sense?" Tristan asked slowly, watching my reaction.
Was it possible that Lilith survived the blast? Did she avoid it entirely, and leave? Why didn't she kill us immediately? This didn't make any sense.
I looked at the paper again, and scoffed. No way in hell!
"So what if the Dementors are back? They form from the negative emotions of others. This doesn't mean anything." I reasoned against Tristan's claim, unwilling to believe what he was trying to tell me.
"That is definitely true." Tristan agreed whole-heartedly. "But you're forgetting something: these kinds of things take a really long time to happen. Dementors don't just form over a week on their own. It takes years, possibly even decades. It hasn't even been a month."
"So, what are you saying?" I asked.
"I'm saying," Tristan looked a little exasperated. "They were summoned, most likely by Lilith. The only question is… Where?"
I rubbed at my face. "We would need to access the planet's satellite system, see if it can find any sudden drops in thermal readings in any area."
"Good luck with that." Tristan scoffed.
"Yeah, pretty much." I agreed wryly, before stopping to think. "Well..."
"What? What is it?" Tristan queried.
"Might be a long shot." I cautioned the man, remembering a few things I read on 4chan yesterday. "But I heard a lot of people talking about it being extremely cold near some freaky tower that appeared in the middle of a city a few weeks ago."
Tristan didn't answer immediately.
"A freaky tower?" He asked slowly.
"Yeah, right in the middle of a city in Italy." I continued, noticing the man's skin pale. "I think they call it Temen Ni Gru."
"You're joking."
"That's what I read." I simply answered.
"There's no way that can be right."
"What do you mean?"
"Temen Ni Gru…" Tristan trailed off wearily, his eyes narrowing. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes." I said, starting to get irritated. "What's this about?"
"That place is supposed to be a myth." Tristan said. "The hotbed of demonic energy. It's what links the Demon realm to the Human realm."
"The.. Demon realm?" I repeated.
"Yes." Tristan confirmed. "The birthplace of Demons like the Dementors, and Devils like Lilith."
"Devils?" I said, a touch of alarm in my voice. "How is that different from Demons?"
Tristan pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.
"Honestly.." Tristan groaned. "Did you even know who Lilith was before you tried to fight her?"
"Not really. I figured she was some kind of screwed up Veela that just wanted to be a legendary demon." I answered honestly.
I had given the whole incident a lot of thought. The idea that it was the actual Lilith from the legends seemed a little too farfetched for me to believe. But then again, magic existed, so could I even declare anything as impossible at this point of time?
"Right." Tristan gave a wry grin. "Lilith is a Devil. A powerful one at that. She was a Lieutenant in the Demon Emperor's forces."
Wait, wait, wait.
"Demon Emperor?" I asked dumbly, feeling like I was way out of my element.
"Yes, the Demon Emperor, Mundus." Tristan answered slowly. "Against him, even a Devil as powerful as Lilith couldn't stand a chance. It was said that his right hand man, an immensely powerful Devil named Sparda, put a stop to his invasion on the human realm."
"I know you have questions." Tristan said, interrupting me before I could say anything. "Let me finish first."
I nodded, signaling for the older man to proceed.
"The story goes that the Dark Knight Sparda rebelled against his own kind for the sake of the human race. He used his sword to shut the portal to the demonic realm, but lost his own powers in the process. The gateway was rumored to be in the demonic tower, Temen-Ni-Gru. For a time, I thought the story was false; just another myth. But if what you're saying is true..."
"Why?" I asked. "Why would a demon want to save the human race?"
"Well, it was said that he fell in love with a human woman, and that's what drove him to renounce his own kind."
"...Power of boners, then? And suddenly everything makes sense."
"Yep."
"Figures." I said, shaking my head. "So, Lilith is at this 'Temen Ni Gru'?"
"I believe so." Tristan confirmed, frowning.
I got up and began to pace around the training chamber, wondering what my next step should be. In a day, I was supposed to get on the train at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. It would take me back to Hogwarts, so I can finish my OWLs.
But did such things even matter to me, anymore?
What were my OWLs going to do for me? Get a job? I was already filthy rich; moreover, Fred and George offered to help me out. They wouldn't even care about my credentials.
Get an education? I wasn't even sure I was getting one, aside from how to fight with magic. Most other disciplines seemed to focus on household chores, or useless crafts like Transfiguration.
Right now, my Lightning Dragonslayer Magic seemed to be my best bet at making it through this in one piece. Potions have also granted me a great deal of aid. Strengthening Solutions sure did come in handy. Spells learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts were also incredibly useful.
As for Charms, I sincerely doubted that Wingardium Leviosa could stop the bone breaker curse, or more serious spells like the Avada Kedavra.
The remaining courses were a laughingstock.
Besides, I had much bigger concerns right now.
Voldemort was still at large. He claimed that he wouldn't be coming after me, anymore. He could have been lying. His exact words were "I will not endeavor to kill you any longer"; that could mean plenty of things.
I could be missing all my limbs and not be dead.
I could be in a permanent coma and still be alive.
The possibilities were endless.
Lilith was also most likely out there as well; holed up in the supposed hotbed of demonic energy, Temen Ni Gru.
Sitting idly by in Hogwarts, listening to teachers continually drone on about subjects that would barely help my efforts, while my enemy was moving freely outside of my range of communications?
Unthinkable.
"We have to go to Temen Ni Gru... At least to make sure Lilith isn't concocting some foul plot there." I finally said, before looking at Tristan.
"Agreed." Tristan nodded. "Voldemort brought her to this plane, somehow. She may be attempting to create a way back."
"Or worse." I added, remembering whatever I can from the Azkaban incident. "The fact that Dementors are multiplying like crazy could mean she plans on opening a portal large enough to release a great deal of demons."
I thought about that statement for a moment.
"An invasion force, maybe…?" I let that question hang in the air for a moment.
"I wouldn't put it past her." Tristan said grimly, before getting up, as well. "Looks like we've got a mess to clean up."
I smiled.
"Right."
I turned to leave, only to see Daphne in the doorway, waiting. She looked a little angry, possibly sad.
"I.." Tristan said uncomfortably as he made his way outside of the training room. "Think I'll give you two some room. Excuse me."
We waited a few moments, even after Tristan left.
"You're not coming back to Hogwarts, are you?" She looked at me with her blue eyes. Accusing eyes. Oh, this was going to be a bad conversation, all right. That's if I was lucky enough for it not to turn into a shouting match.
"No." I said bluntly, figuring that brutal honesty was the best policy in this situation.
"Why? Don't you want to be with me?"
Oh, damn. She's pulling out the big guns, isn't she?
"Of course I do!" I replied immediately.
"Then, why?"
"You know why!" I said heatedly.
"Well, why don't you enlighten me? Because I don't understand, at all."
Oh, now she was simply trying to get a rise out of me. I took a deep breath, and regarded her with a frigid gaze.
"No, Daphne. I'm not going to fight you so you can feel better about this situation." I said calmly. "People are out to kill me, and possibly bring about the end of civilization as we know it. I should have done this months ago. I'm leaving Hogwarts."
And with that, I left the training room.
I avoided everyone in Grimmauld Place as I made my way to my room. I saw Sirius there, playing on my computer. Seems he was playing Dead Island Two— By that, I meant Dying Light.
Good game, has some bugs but is an overall delight to play, even if it is a souped up copy of a past game.
Balthazar was curled up on my bed, simply watching Sirius play the game. Didn't figure he enjoyed that kind of thing.
"Hey Harry." Sirius greeted me as I entered.
"Yo." I answered back, before going into my closet to grab some armor I had purchased a few days before. The extra protection would prove extremely valuable for my next fights. The armor was made using Dragonhide, and I would put it over my clothes for protection.
It consisted of a vest to cover up my torso and stomach, as well as shoulderguards. I also purchased some dark gray combat clothes, and black combat boots. The wonders of e-bay.
§You look like you're going to war.§ Balthazar piped up when he noticed me putting all this equipment on..
§I guess you could say that.§ I answered as I finished putting on my boots. I stood up, feeling like I was a few inches taller than before. I went to a nearby mirror, and examined myself.
Green eyes stared back. I took a few long moments to scrutinize my appearance. The shoulderguards made me look like crap. Honestly, I looked like the worst cosplayer on the planet.
Well, no sense in crying about it. Armor is armor; it doesn't have to look good, merely keep me from suffering from unnecessary injuries.
"Harry..." Sirius said, finally noticing my appearance. "You look dumb."
"A small price to pay, my armor-less friend." I retorted. "At least I can take more hits now."
"At least there's that… Though, why anyone would even go near such a fashion disaster is beyond me." Sirius joked, before frowning. "Going on another trip, then?"
"Yeah."
"What about—"
"Moving on from that."
"Ah."
"Yeah."
"...Need some company?"
"...Sure." I said, looking at Sirius for a moment. "We'll likely encounter demons and the like. You think you're up for it?"
"Up for it?" Sirius scoffed and turned up his nose. "I'll have you know, back in their heyday, the Black family was well known for being demon slayers!"
I gave the man a strange look.
"Sirius… That's probably the first time I've heard you say anything positive about your family." I noted.
"Well, we all have our golden days… Maybe I'll return my family to its former glory." Sirius said, with a determined glint in his eyes. I felt something slither up my leg. I looked down to see an excited Balthazar— as excited as a snake could get, anyway.
§Hey! Don't forget about me!§ Balthazar said as he wrapped himself around my torso, resting his head on my left shoulder.
§By the way...§ Balthazar continued.
§Yeah?§ I nudged my companion.
§Why are you wearing dead dragon skin?§ My viper asked curiously.
§For protection.§ I explained, feeling a little defensive. Why wouldn't people shut up about the armor?
§It smells weird.§
§I don't smell anything.§ I said after taking a sniff.
§That's because you're inferior.§
§Oh. In that case, I apologize for being weaker than you.§
§Apology accepted.§ Balthazar said before laying his head back down on my shoulder.
I laughed at the banter, before turning to Sirius, who was already dressed in what seemed to be some black battle robes.
"Do you want some—"
"No, no." Sirius shook his head, backing away. "God no. That armor looks atrocious. I'm happy wearing this."
I groaned, and began to take mine off, sick of having everyone criticize my fashion choices. Balthazar helpfully slithered onto the bed so I could take the vest and shoulderguards off, leaving me wearing only my combat clothes.
I supposed this would simply have to do.
We exited the game room, and met up with Tristan, who was waiting for us at the entrance. Daphne was there, as well. She still looked truly upset.
Damn.
I swallowed thickly as she came closer to me. I wondered what she would do.
"You..." She slapped me. "Jerk!"
And then she kissed me. It was a quick, forceful kiss. I was too dazed by her slap to even register it. We broke apart after a few seconds, and she turned and ran before I could say anything.
"Uh..." I tried to speak, but no words came to mind. I rubbed my cheek, trying to ward off the stinging sensation.
§Haha!§ Balthazar exclaimed.
"Channeling your father, are we?" Sirius quipped, sounding extremely amused at the situation.
"I'll admit it. That was a little funny." Tristan said, looking mildly annoyed at having to see his baby sister engage in such acts.
"What.." I finally managed to say.
"Hey!" Sirius snapped his fingers in front of my face, grabbing my attention. "Concentrate. You, me, Tristan. Killing Demons? Ring any bells?"
It took a few seconds for the cogs in my brain to begin functioning once more, but I got them working.
"Right." I said, wiping at my mouth. "We have to go to Temen Ni Gru."
"You're kidding." Sirius said incredulously.
"Nope."
"I thought that place was a myth!"
"Apparently not. It's in Italy, somewhere." Tristan grunted out.
"In Italy? Where?" Sirius asked.
"In a city called Prato, I believe." I answered, remembering that little tidbit of information.
"Okay, good. I can take us there, then." Sirius said, looking a little relieved.
"You've been to Prato?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, of course!" Sirius nodded wisely. "The women there are exquisitely beautiful."
Leave it to Sirius to judge a city by its female population's appearance.
"Fascinating." Tristan's voice had a touch of irritation. "Can we go, now?"
"Wait, let me tell Albus where we're going, at least." I said quickly, and got nods in return.
I pulled out my wand.
"Expecto Patronum." I incanted. Prongs burst forth from the tip, like he always does. The spirit guardian ran around for a few seconds, before standing in front of me, regarding me with its ethereal eyes.
"Um..." I started uncertainly. "Could you take a message to Albus Dumbledore for me?"
The stag nodded, and waited.
"Right. Dumbledore!" I cheerfully addressed the stag, feeling like an idiot while I did so. "Sirius and I are going for a fun, danger filled trip. Yes, that means I'm not coming back to Hogwarts. No, don't worry about my training; I've got it covered. Anyway, have fun taking care of a bunch of snot nosed brats for the rest of the year!"
The stag cocked his head in slight amusement, before running off to deliver my message to the old fart.
I turned to the other two men.
"Okay. Now, I'm ready."
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Prato, Italy...
Apparition, I thought, still felt really awful. I couldn't see myself continually subjecting myself to that spell every time I wished to go somewhere.
We appeared with a loud crack in a dark, empty alleyway. I looked up, but the alleyway seemed to have a roof. How very strange.
§Ugh, I feel like I'm going to vomit. This place smells like death.§ Balthazar helpfully stated, shaking around agitatedly.
The rancid smell of rotten meat reached my nose, and I almost gagged. I turned my eyes to the source, only to see a homeless man scavenging through the garbage.
He hadn't seen us, or even heard us for that matter.
"So, this is Prato?" Tristan turned up his nose as he surveyed the filthy alley. "Not very impressive."
"This isn't where I intended for us to drop off." Sirius said, sounding confused. "From the look of things, it's an alleyway in a lower class part of town. What do you expect it to look like?"
"Let's stay on track, gentlemen." I interrupted, deciding to play mediator for now. "Where's the tower?"
"La torre, hein!" I heard a voice say, and turned to see the homeless man who'd been previously sifting through garbage for food. He was talking to us.
"Huh?" I said in return.
"Sei alla ricerca per la torre?" The homeless man asked.
"Um..." I started hesitantly. "We don't speak Italian, sorry."
The homeless man's face lit up.
"English!" He said happily. "Here to see giant tower, yes?"
"Yes, that's exactly it." I answered immediately, feeling relieved at not having to figure out how to translate what I was saying. "Do you know where it is?"
"Si, si. I know." He nodded vigorously and began to walk out of the alley. We followed.
"Come!" He said, leading us through the twists and turns of this place. This place was a veritable maze, it seemed.
Finally, he led us to a dead end, and stood still, not facing us.
"Umm..." Sirius said, not sure of how to address the old man.
"Are you all right?" I asked, but the man made no attempt at a reply. He simply kept standing still.
"How long are you going to keep hiding?" Tristan finally said, looking around. "Show yourself."
"Tristan, what're you..." I began.
~Oh, you've found me? Impressive...~
I stiffened up in surprise, with Sirius mimicking my action.
"I've felt this thing's presence as soon as we entered the city." Tristan said calmly. "I'm surprised you didn't, as well. Likely it redirected Sirius' apparation attempt here in order to capture or kill us."
I opened my mouth, and shut it. This wasn't the time for banter. I reached out with my energy, just like before. It connected with the air around me, trying to latch onto the hidden presence.
I detected two other energy signatures next to me, so it was a reasonable assumption that those were Sirius and Tristan.
I reached out even further, trying to find the one who's been watching us.
After a few moments, I looked to my right, having finally latched onto something.
Like with Lilith, this feeling was completely dreadful. The overpowering smell of the rotting dead, the anger, the hatred… I thought I was ready for those feelings to surface because of my experience with Lilith.
I was wrong.
I closed off the link between the entity— no, the demon— and I, trying to keep from vomiting.
"That sensation..." Tristan said casually, though his stance belied his true emotions. "You will both get used to it, in time."
I snuck a look towards Sirius. The man was frowning, obviously disturbed about whatever he read from the demon's projections.
"So!" Tristan said loudly. "Are you here to fight, or what?"
That statement seemed to have an invigorating effect on both Sirius and I.
~Here to fight scum, like you? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!~ The disembodied voice raged.
"Move!" Tristan said urgently, before rolling away. I did the same.
The sound of breaking glass was heard as the very air around us broke. There was no warning for Sirius, as several demonic figures appeared, impaling him with enormous sickles from all directions.
"Sirius!" I yelled out in shock, and fear.
The scene was etched in my mind. I didn't move as several other demons appeared before me, readying their own weapons. I saw their skeletal appearance, their dark cloaks and bandages. I saw the sickles coming closer and closer, but I made no move to dodge.
My mind stayed blank, even as the demons were engulfed in purple flames.
A voice shot through the emptiness as I was beginning to zone out.
"Harry!"
It was Sirius' voice; but how? The demons killed him.
"Harry!"
My vision turned sideways, and I felt a sharp, stinging sensation on my cheeks. I turned to look at the source of the blow, to see something surprising.
Sirius stood in front of me, looking completely unharmed.
"I— What—" I was at a loss for words.
"Part of the Black Family's Magic." Sirius explained, looking a little pained at my state. "It's called Shadow Substitution. My shadow and I switched places for a brief moment."
"You— You're fine." I managed to say, feeling extremely relieved, and embarrassed at having underestimated my Godfather so badly.
"Yes. I'm all right. Worry about yourself, won't you?" Sirius chided good naturedly.
I nodded dumbly as I got back to my feet. We were still surrounded by a cornucopia of demons.
"These are Hell Prides." Tristan said as another wave of demons began to appear in the broken cracks in the air surrounding us. "They're one of the Seven Hells of the Demon Army."
"I see." I said, starting to regain my emotional balance. "Ready, Balthazar?"
§Let's show 'em who's boss.§
I clenched my fists, my Lightning answering my call, reaching into every fiber of my body and supercharging it. I saw the Hell Prides' approach to us in slow motion, thanks to the increased sensory input my Lightning Dragonslayer Magic provides for me.
I rushed into the enemy fold, smashing into the first unfortunate Hell Pride with a lightning enhanced tackle.
I regarded its crumpled form for a moment, before ducking underneath another one of the Hell Prides' sideways swipe, grabbing onto its sickle and pulling it towards me with my left hand.
"Edge!" Electricity began to coalesce around my right hand, forming into a rapidly spinning drill, which I shoved into the Hell Pride's face, ending its life instantly.
I corrected my grip on the sickle's handle, before swinging it in a wide arc, sending some dismembered limbs flying. Then, I brought it in front of me, to block an incoming strike. Sparks flew as another blade clashed against mine. I let the Hell Pride overpower me, letting go of the sickle and letting the demon fall forward.
It tried to claw at my face, but Balthazar sprung forward, wrapping around the Hell Pride's arms and pulling it right into my Breakdown Fist. Balthazar let go of the demon, letting it fly into its comrades with a loud thud.
I breathed in deeply, charging up my lungs with energy as my snake moved out of the way.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
The alleyway we stood in shined in bright blue light, as I let loose a concentrated, powerful blast of lightning at the pile of Hell Prides stacked on each other.
It collided with them, vaporizing them instantly, before continuing on to blow a hole through the wall behind them… And the other wall behind it.
As Balthazar began to wrap around my torso once more, a flash of purple got my attention. I turned to see Tristan fighting against the Hell Prides as well.
He seemed to be completely at ease, fluidly dodging their quick, deadly strikes as if he was doing it his entire life.
The blonde haired man raised his arms, grinning savagely as he did so.
The area around him erupted in purple flames, burning all the Hell Prides surrounding him to a crisp. I felt the searing heat all the way here. Balthazar hissed, the heat soothing him immensely.
Sirius' performance, on the other hand, was not as flashy as ours. It was actually more silent than anything, to be honest. All the Hell Prides around him stood completely still.
It was as if they were held in place by something, as he cut them down with the use of the simple cutting curse.
How was he doing it?
My eyes immediately drifted onto the ground, wondering if this was what I thought it was. Since when did Sirius know anything about techniques in the Naruto manga?
Sure enough, his shadow was linked to theirs.
"I know what you're going to say." Sirius said as he cast a cutting curse on the sole remaining Dementor wannabe. "But these techniques go back at least a thousand years, give or take a few hundred."
Any reply I had died in my mouth.
I looked around for the old man who had led us into this trap.
He was nowhere to be seen.
"We're not being watched any more." Tristan said, looking around as if he was feeling for the presence we encountered before. "At least, not as closely as earlier."
"I don't know what that was about." I said, frowning. "But this might mean that something truly serious is going on here."
§What gave you that idea?§ Balthazar quipped, but I didn't rise for the bait.
Sirius nodded, before heading towards the hole in the wall I'd created.
"This looks like it leads to a nearby street." Sirius said, before going through. "Come on."
Tristan and I followed, walking through what seemed to be someone's kitchen, before exiting through the second hole, leading us into a bright street. I put my hand over my face, giving my eyes time to adjust to the light.
When my vision finally focused, my eyes widened at the sight before me.
"Holy shit."
They weren't kidding when they said it was a gigantic tower. The edifice, which looked disturbingly similar to the Tower of Babel, simply dwarfed all of the other buildings surrounding it. It looked like it simply jutted out of the ground, going through buildings and streets like they hadn't even been there.
I could see a number of upturned cars, here and there.
Uncontrollable fires seemed to be breaking out everywhere. It was as if the entire population had simply evacuated the area. Or worse, yet; they may have been slaughtered by the hordes of demons infesting the city. Next to the tower, lay the gigantic rotting carcass of what seemed to be a demonic hybrid of an eel and a whale.
"That's..." Tristan said, eyes wide in shock. "Leviathan!? Who could have possibly killed it?"
"I certainly don't remember Prato being like this." Sirius said, looking grimly at the scene in front of us.
"There are incredible forces at work here." Tristan said, a touch of trepidation in his voice. "We're dealing with creatures strong enough to match the likes of the Evil God-Beast Leviathan. We have to go about this very, very carefully."
I nodded, unsure of how to reply to something like that. I looked up at the majestic tower.
Temen Ni Gru. The Gateway to Hell.
We began our walk towards it.
Towards Lilith… And whatever else lay ahead.
ooooooooooooooo
:) Another chapter, done! Enjoy!